Hollywood Farmer’s Market Dispute Ripe for Re-Evaluation?

Paul Kessler and Diane Derycz-Kessler (pictured), the husband-and-wife team that owns and operates the LA Film School, have been tarred as villains from Day One of their dispute with the popular Hollywood Farmer’s Market held around their property on Sundays. Why, people have been questioning, would the school need to impede a major community event for the sake of access to a few rooftop student parking spots?

Per an item in this week’s LA Weekly, it’s actually far more complicated. School spokesman Antoine Ibrahim tells the newspaper that much more is at stake:

“Given the chance, we’d start holding events and open up our equipment room — which is closed on Sundays because of the market,” Ibrahim told the Weekly. “It’s about more than parking, but we never wanted to say that, because that’s the legal argument.”

The school, which faces Sunset, plans to hold numerous Sunday events, Ibrahim says, and will bring shuttle buses and groups to its Ivar Street side entrances.

Meanwhile, buried at the bottom of the Women in Film/Board of Directors bio page for Derycz-Kessler is this fascinating tidbit: she was a Harvard Law School classmate of President Obama! Let’s hope the right-wing (organic cashew) nut jobs don’t get hold of that info.